Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
The leading charity delivering food aid to Gaza has suspended its services after Israel launched an air strike on a food convoy. Those killed include three British nationals, an Australian, a Polish national, an American-Canadian dual citizen and a Palestinian, according to hospital records.
The World Central Kitchen said its workers were delivering food that had arrived by sea yesterday when they were struck in the evening. Israel’s offensive has pushed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to the brink of starvation.
Ships still laden with 240 tons of aid turned back from Gaza, according to Cyprus, which has played a key role in trying to establish a sea route to bring food to the territory. Israel has only allowed a trickle of aid into devastated northern Gaza, where experts say famine is imminent.
In a statement this morning posted on social-media platform X, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said she was “horrified” to hear about the air strike, adding attacks on humanitarian workers are unacceptable.
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Political parties weren’t warned about Chinese foreign interference in 2021 election, inquiry hears
A group of senior bureaucrats responsible for oversight of the 2021 federal election never shared critical information about Chinese state interference aimed at electing sympathetic MPs and targeting Conservative candidates, the public inquiry into foreign interference heard today.
Documents tabled at the commission of inquiry show that the Security and Intelligent Threat to Elections Task Force, known as SITE and comprised of senior civil servants, had classified intelligence that outlined sophisticated China influence operations in Canadian democracy.
- Explainer: A guide to foreign interference and China’s suspected influence in Canada
Walied Soliman is seen on a monitor as he appears virtually as a witness at the Public Inquiry Into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions in Ottawa on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
New law on reporting forced-labour sows confusion over who the legislation covers
Canada’s new modern slavery in supply chains legislation has been in the works for years, but with the filing deadline just two months away, some companies are still struggling to understand their reporting obligations.
The new law requires many businesses and government institutions to publicly report on the risk of forced labour and child labour within their supply chains. The legislation came into effect Jan. 1, and entities have until May 31 to produce their reports. But there is still significant confusion about who is captured by the legislation.
Open letter to Canada’s political leaders calls for greater civility in public discourse
Dozens of former politicians, academics, artists, religious leaders and human-rights advocates are calling on political leaders to improve civility in public discourse and mend divisions that they say are undermining peace and security
They argue in an open letter published today that many Canadians are afraid because of their identities or beliefs. The letter argues the phenomenon is part of a worrisome trend in which Canadians are “unwilling, unable or ill-equipped” to interact with people who have divergent views. They propose recommendations and want more research into the root causes of such disunity. And they say politicians need to lead by example by changing their own behaviour.
- Editorial: The defence of civility rests on all of us
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Education: Queen’s University plans to introduce a lottery to its medical student selection process in the hope it will make admissions more open to candidates from diverse and low-income backgrounds.
Housing: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced a $6-billion federal housing program to fund provinces and territories that commit to specific actions to increase housing supply.
Accounting: Two of Canada’s Big Four accounting firms failed to meet regulators’ standards for quality audits last year, part of a continuing increase in problematic work.
Renewable energy: Britain is betting on offshore wind to help achieve its net-zero goal, in an early demonstration of what can be done with the plentiful and powerful winds that buffet that part of the world.
Report on Business Magazine: Clearwater Seafood is charting a new path as an Indigenous-owned company. Can seven-generation thinking and profitability coexist?
Listen to The Decibel podcast: Four reasons (not-so-obvious) why housing affordability and opportunity is at a historic low.
MARKET WATCH
Indexes fall as Tesla and TSX telecom stocks tumble, rate cut timing weighed
U.S. stocks fell on Tuesday as investors weighed chances that the Federal Reserve could delay cutting interest rates, while Tesla shares dropped after the electric car maker posted fewer quarterly deliveries for the first time in nearly four years.
The TSX also ended lower, off half a percentage point. The telecom sector led declines, down by more than 2%, after brokerage BMO cut its share price targets for several names in the sector.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 110.15 points at 22,075.10. According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 lost 37.73 points to end at 5,206.04 points, while the Nasdaq Composite lost 156.38 points to 16,240.45. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 387.81 points to 39,171.55.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.68 cents US compared with 73.67 cents US on Monday.
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TALKING POINTS
Canada needs a new dedicated agency for lending to smaller businesses
“While this country does have the Business Development Bank of Canada, the large corporation has been a major contributor to the old economy, not the new, digital economy – just as commercial banks have.” – Patricia Meredith and Robert McGarvey
A timely reminder that the courts need to keep their noses out of individuals’ medical decisions
“When you make a deeply personal decision a public ordeal, you strip people of their agency and their dignity. This is a well-worn technique in the playbook of anti-choice activists.” – André Picard
The Liberals race to win back younger generations that have left them in droves
“That’s what renters’ credit scores, children’s food programs or perhaps longer amortization periods for mortgages have in common. They are all ways for the Liberals to tell younger voters they are pumping some financial breathing room into the stressed lives of Gen Z and millennials.” – Campbell Clark
LIVING BETTER
Don’t drive around looking for cheap gas. Stack loyalty rewards instead
Some Canadians may be tempted to cut fuel costs by driving around searching for the lowest price or lining up for 30 minutes at a Costco station. Another strategy is sticking with a gas station that earns you rewards. Every major gas station chain is now partnered with a significant loyalty program. That means you can now get instant savings, earn points and stack offers. Here are your options.
TODAY’S LONG READ
The Ultramar gas station on Broadview Ave. and Bater Ave. is photographed on Mar 26, 2024.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
Do you want to buy a gas station?
The road to an all electric-vehicle future may still be a decade or more away, but the move away from gas-powered cars is already imperilling a staple for road-trippers and a profitable business for small-time owners and chains alike: the gas station.
While individual stations are still attractive to entrepreneurs looking to be sole proprietors, companies hoping to sell large retail gas networks are struggling to find buyers. Hundreds of locations across Canada from big-name companies are up for sale with no one so much as kicking the tires. Their challenge? Finding a buyer who sees a long-term strategic rationale in owning services designed for a technology in decline. Jameson Berkow’s full story.
Evening Update is written by Sierra Bein. If you’d like to receive this newsletter by e-mail every weekday evening, go here to sign up. If you have any feedback, send us a note.
Sierra Bein